KEY POINTS

  • David de Gea has been at Man Utd since 2011
  • De Gea's current deal is due to expire next summer
  • He is still Man Utd's No. 1 goalkeeper

Manchester United are reportedly preparing to offer a "reduced" contract to their goalkeeper David de Gea next year.

De Gea's current contract with Manchester United is due to expire in the summer of 2023. The Old Trafford club has an option to further extend it by another year. The Spanish shot-stopper is one of the highest-paid goalkeepers in the world but he is now set to receive a new deal on reduced terms, reported The Athletic.

De Gea currently earns a weekly wage of around $431,000. The 31-year-old will accept the new contract only if he is assured that he'll remain Manchester United's No. 1 goalkeeper, according to media outlet Sport Bible.

De Gea, who has been at the club for a decade, is an excellent goalkeeper but he is limited with the ball at his feet – a skillset highly valued by Ten Hag. Nevertheless, the Manchester United boss has praised De Gea in the past, claiming he "likes him as a person."

The Spaniard is the second highest-paid player in the Manchester United side, after Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns a whopping $593,000 a week.

Earlier this month, in a post-match conference, Ten Hag said,"[De Gea] is an experienced player, he is one of the leaders, so we have to show that to push the team, then you have to be the example by itself.''

If Dea Gea does leave Manchester United for free next summer, the club has a few options as the veteran player's replacement. Tony Coton, Manchester United's chief goalkeeping scout, has his eyes on Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, while Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon is also on the Red Devils' radar.

David de Gea
David de Gea of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on August 29, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

It was earlier reported that Manchester United were preparing to land Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak as De Gea's long-term replacement at the end of the 2022-23 season. In order to bring Oblak to Old Trafford, the Red Devils could double his salary to $18 million per season, which would be equivalent to $345,000 a week.

Even Oblak's current deal with Atletico Madrid will expire next summer. If the Wanda Metropolitano side agrees to sell the goalkeeper, Manchester United could face competition from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

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